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Apple's Mac Studio lineup ranges from a $2,500 base model with the M5 Max chip up to configurations exceeding $5,899, with a separate M5 Ultra tier starting at $5,500 that supports up to 512GB of unified memory. The M5 Ultra combines two M5 Max chips and can be clustered four-wide over Thunderbolt 5 for even greater performance, aimed at running massive local AI models and handling uncompressed 8K video work.
Tom's Hardware reviewed Apple's new Mac Studio built around the M5 Ultra chip, which now serves as Apple's top desktop after the Mac Pro's discontinuation. The tested configuration, priced at $12,299 with 256GB of unified memory and 4TB storage, outperformed rivals like Nvidia's DGX Spark and AMD Threadripper systems when running AI models locally, while the base M5 Max model starts at $2,499.
Apple has refreshed the Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chip options, replacing last year's M5 tier entirely. The M6 model starts at $899 with up to 32GB RAM, while the M5 Pro version scales up to 64GB RAM and significantly faster GPU bandwidth, positioning the lineup below the $2,499 Mac Studio.
Apple has updated the Mac Mini for the first time in nearly two years, introducing an M6 base model and an M5 Pro configuration that skips the M5 generation entirely for the standard chip. The base M6 Mini starts at $899, while a maxed-out M5 Pro version with 48GB of memory and 1TB storage reaches $2,899, edging into Mac Studio pricing territory.
Apple's latest Mac Mini refresh retains its familiar compact design, port layout, and the awkwardly placed rear power button, while introducing the new M6 chip built on a 2-nanometer process. The chip packs 46 billion transistors, roughly 35 percent denser than its predecessor, and the new model adds two extra CPU cores compared to the M4 version.
A developer has released Kev, a family of small decision-making models (0.8B, 4B, and 9B parameters) built on Qwen3.5, inspired by the architecture behind Jev. The models handle yes/no, multiple-choice, and rating questions within a single request and are compatible with TypeSafe's System One API, meaning developers can run Kev locally instead of relying on that hosted service. Full training code, evaluation data, and a web playground are included, and the models run on both CUDA and Apple Silicon hardware.
A developer has demonstrated Laya, referred to as 'OS Jev', running fully offline on Apple's M4 chip using Apple's CoreML framework. The system reportedly processes 45 decisions per second locally, without needing a cloud connection or internet access.
A developer has released Vinix, an open-source operating system written in the V programming language, designed specifically for MacBooks as a leaner alternative to macOS. It runs in roughly 100 MB of RAM and 1 GB of storage, boots quickly, and includes no telemetry or online account requirements. The project is also working toward running Windows-only PC games on Apple Silicon hardware by combining Wine with an x86-to-ARM64 translation layer and an in-progress Apple GPU driver.
Apple's coming macOS 27 (Golden Gate) update will support MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon going back to 2020, but it will not run on any Intel-based Mac. Since Apple stopped selling Intel MacBooks in 2021, those machines will only get limited security patches on their last compatible macOS version going forward.
Apple has released iOS 27 with the new Siri AI assistant, but access depends on several conditions. Users need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer (with some features locked to iPhone 17 Pro), a compatible Apple silicon Mac, iPad with A17 Pro or later, a compatible Apple Watch, or Vision Pro; Apple TV and HomePod are excluded. The feature also requires an English-language device setting, is restricted to users 13 and older, and is unavailable in the EU and China.
Apple released macOS 27, codenamed Golden Gate, on Monday, bringing a redesigned Siri assistant capable of searching personal data like photos and emails and taking actions inside apps such as Messages and Reminders. The update also refines the Liquid Glass interface with better contrast, a new opacity slider, and consistent window corner shapes, while working only on Apple Silicon Macs, not Intel-based machines.
A developer outlines a workflow for running local large language models on an Apple MacBook Pro M5 with 48GB RAM, combining Ollama for model management, OpenCode as the development harness, and Docker's sbx sandbox tool for isolation. The setup uses models like Qwen 3.8 27B and Gemma 4 31B, pulled via Ollama and configured through a custom sbx kit for each project.